Jim Goodwin doesn’t see the point in being pessimistic as St Mirren head into a Boxing Day fixture with Celtic.
The Buddies come into this clash on the back of some decent results in recent weeks. A 0-0 draw away to St Johnstone was their latest as they went three games unbeaten.
St Mirren host Celtic this week. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
Now comes the big test, a fixture against Celtic. The odds will be stacked against them but Goodwin believes his side have to be positive heading into the match.
He told the Sunday Post (sport, page 7, 22/12/19): “You need to have a great day and you need them to take their eye off the ball a little bit- and that’s to get a point.
“That’s the way it is. But we enter every game to be positive. There’s no point being negative and expecting to lose the game. Anything can happen.”
Rigid approach could help Goodwin against Celtic
Heading into this game, stats don’t reflect kindly on the Buddies. Celtic have scored in 21 of the last 22 meetings between the sides and Saturday’s home side have only beaten Celtic twice this decade.
A memorable afternoon. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
They were memorable games though, with a League Cup victory and a 4-0 thrashing of the Hoops in Paisley. A similar scoreline to the latter and Goodwin would be laughing come Thursday, but that’s unlikely.
What’s more probable is St Mirren will have to dig in for their chances. Against Rangers this season they frustrated their bigger opponents with a compact defensive approach, with a free kick settling the game in a 1-0 defeat.
It was a encouraging performance and perhaps Goodwin can take some pointers from that match heading into Thursday’s.